Child of My Heart
by ShinzonAurthurDentEiffel65nut
Summary: An angsty little fic about Shinzon and his Viceroy. Father/son kinda deal. ST: Nemesis


Child of my Heart Pg-13  
  
Vkruk worked in the dilithium mines on the planet Remus, sister planet to Romulus. But by no means were the Remans equals to the Romulans. No, the Romulans preferred to keep their sister planet's occupants busy, underground in slavery.  
The Reman man had slaved away there for years. Almost since before he could walk. He had seen many humans exiled to Remus, but none so young as the little boy they brought in one particular day.  
  
He was small, trembling with fear. The Romulan guard merely laughed and shoved him to the filthy ground roughly. The boy spat contemptuously at the guard.  
  
"Why you little-"  
  
The guard prepared to strike the human child, but Vkruk stopped his captor's hand before it found its target. The Romulan and Reman glared into each other's eyes, each willing the other to make the first move. Vkruk shoved the guard away, forcing him to abandon his thoughts of punishment.  
Takor, the guard, left in a huff, leaving behind the boy for Vkruk to deal with. The Human and the Reman looked at each other warily. Vkruk extended a hand and helped the little boy up.  
  
"My name is Vkruk. What do they call you, little one?" Vkruk said kindly.  
  
"I-I haven't got a name." The boy replied.  
  
Vkruk patted him on the back reassuringly.  
  
"We will all you 'Shinzon'. It means 'liberator' in my tongue." Said Vkruk solemnly.  
  
Shinzon looked up trustingly into the Reman's wide, luminous eyes.  
  
"You are a noble race." Shinzon murmured softly, taking the Reman's large clawed hand in his own small hand.  
  
*&^&* Four years later.  
  
Vkruk winced in sympathetic pain as the Romulan guard whipped Shinzon repeatedly. The Reman man was near to tears, Shinzon was the closest thing to a son he'd ever have, that "son" was in pain, and there was nothing Vkruk could do to help him.  
Shinzon was now eleven; Vkruk had adopted the Human as his own son and cared for him as such.  
The Reman slave heard the son of his heart cry out in pain as the whip was brought down upon his back yet again. Vkruk lurched against the restraining arms of the guards. "Shinzon!" he moaned in anguish. "Let me go you inhumane bastards! They're killing him!" The lashing all at once stopped and the Guard came out, wiping blood from his whip. Vkruk hurried to retrieve Shinzon before they tried to take him away again. Shinzon lay on his side, blood oozing from welts all over his bony back.  
  
"Vkruk." The boy croaked.  
  
"Shh.It's alight Shinzon. I'm here now, I'll take care of you"  
  
Vkruk lifted the boy easily off the floor and cradling him against his own body. He caught sight of pain-glazed eyes.  
  
"Stay with me, my boy, You will make it through this."  
  
"Yes, Father." said Shinzon hazily before passing out from pain.  
  
Vkruk looked down at the human whom he loved more than himself and felt a tear slide down his skeletal cheek.  
  
"My son."  
  
*&^&*  
  
Ten years later.  
The Romulan Senate  
(The scene with the away team)  
  
Shinzon was dying. Bit by bit he was wasting away. It hurt Vkruk to see him like that, but all the Reman could do was to help relieve some of the pain.  
Vkruk stepped from the shadows, sensing ill intent by the Klingon called "Worf". Shinzon nodded to him, telling him everything was ok. But it wasn't ok. In a matter of days, Shinzon would be dead. Without the transfusion the Human would die. Vkruk didn't think he wanted to know what life would be like without him.  
Shinzon made his speech to Picard, and sliced his hand to give them a sample of his blood. He stood there, looking at the gash in his hand. Then he looked back up.  
  
"Until tomorrow Captain." He said.  
  
The away team left in a hurry. As the doors closed, Shinzon closed his eyes, swaying suddenly with a bout of dizziness. Vkruk reached out and caught him before he fell over. "Thank you Vkruk." He tried to stand again, but swayed again. "Perhaps I should. rest." "Yes, Praetor. I think that would be best." Vkruk agreed, steering Shinzon to the plain quarters occupied by the Praetor of Romulus.  
  
Vkruk helped Shinzon onto the bed and placed a hand on the Human's chest to check on the process of the praetor's disease. The results were not good.  
  
"Please, Shinzon! We could beam Picard aboard now if we wanted to. Why won't you let me help you?" the Reman said worriedly.  
  
Shinzon only clasped his mentor's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.  
  
"In time, my friend. In time." the Praetor replied as he drifted off to sleep.  
  
*&^&*  
  
Over the next two days, Vkruk watched in horror as Shinzon's health deteriorated even more. At one point, Vkruk found the human coughing up blood in his room.  
  
"That does it! I'm beaming Picard aboard now!" Vkruk almost shouted.  
  
"No! Vkruk! Please don't. It's too late." Shinzon protested.  
  
"What do you mean!? All we have to do is get Picard and-"  
  
"No. It's too late. The transfusion should have taken place days ago." Shinzon sighed.  
  
Shinzon choked again, Vkruk held him as the Praetor spat out more blood. Shinzon wiped his mouth weakly and hunched over.  
  
Vkruk suddenly grabbed the human and hugged him tightly to his chest.  
  
"You are like a son to me. You know that?" mumbled Vkruk.  
  
"I had sort of guessed that. I am flattered Vkruk." Shinzon said from the Reman's shoulder.  
  
Vkruk held the human out at arms length.  
  
"I will be there with you until the end." The Reman slave said hoarsely, tears in his eyes.  
  
"Thank you."  
*&^&*  
  
Vkruk battled the Starfleet officer viscously, slicing and stabbing at the bearded man known as Riker. Will Riker dodged as best he could, trying to evade the skillful Reman warrior.  
And then all at once, Vkruk was falling. Falling into a Jeffries tube that went down several floors. Then there was a loud thwack as he landed, and the sickening crack as his spine broke in two. He lay dying, searching for memories of Shinzon and himself in happier times, when there wasn't a war to be fought. He settled on one and searched for Shinzon's mind out there in space. He assumed the human was dead, killed in the destruction of the Scimitar. As Vkruk's life left his body, he found something astonishing.  
  
Shinzon was alive!  
  
*&^&*  
  
A/N: Well? Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it? Those of you who have read my other stuff know of my obsession with death. Please review and tell me what you thought. I loved ST: Nemesis and thought that the relationship Shinzon had with his Viceroy was like father and son. I almost cried when Vkruk died and I REFUSE to believe Shinzon is dead. I have proof. See, I'm possessed by him. Anyway, as Spock always says: There are always alternatives.  
  
Live long and prosper.  
  
You are me!  
  
-Praetor Shinzon 


End file.
